Pfizer Inc. (PFE) vs State Street Corporation (STT): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
As of 2026-06-19, PFE is overvalued at $25, with a DCF intrinsic value of $22 and a margin of safety of -12%. STT is undervalued at $168, with an intrinsic value of $272 and a margin of safety of 38%. Of the two, STT has the wider margin of safety.
Rewards
- ★Gross margin of 74.8% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
- ★FCF yield of 8.6% is historically attractive — the business generates significant cash relative to its price.
- ★Trailing P/E of 19.2x is 37% below the historical average of 30.4x — potentially undervalued relative to its own history.
- ★State Street Corporation scores 74/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
- ★Share count has been reduced by 20% over the past 4 years through buybacks, increasing each share's claim on earnings.
Risks
- ⚠ROIC has declined by 15.9 percentage points over the past 4 years, which may signal competitive erosion.
- ⚠PEG ratio of 13.77 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
- ⚠Free cash flow has declined at a 29.6% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.
- ⚠Gross margin of 0.0% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
- ⚠Trailing P/E of 17.1x is 38% above the historical average of 12.4x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.
- ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.22 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
Key Valuation Metrics
Learn more →Historical Fundamentals
Learn more →Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
$1 Retained Earnings Test
Learn more →> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis
Learn more →Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth
Learn more →What growth rate is the market pricing in at $25?
The market implies +5.2% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.
Standard FCF implies a demanding +4.5%, reflecting heavy growth investment.
Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.
Economic Moat Score
Learn more →No durable moat detected, though reinvestment efficiency shows some competitive positioning. The business lacks consistent evidence of sustainable advantages.
Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Margin Stability is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.
Forensic Accounting
Learn more →M-Score Trend
M-Score Trend
Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
Ownership Breakdown
Learn more →High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
Insider Buying Activity
Learn more →Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.
Insider Selling Activity
Learn more →Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.
🎭 Mr. Market's Mood
Learn more →"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"
"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"
Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
⚖️ Buffett Signal
Learn more →The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
Frequently Asked Questions: PFE vs STT
Is Pfizer Inc. or State Street Corporation more undervalued in 2026?▼
Based on our discounted cash flow model, STT trades at a 38.1% margin of safety (intrinsic value $272 vs. price $168), compared to PFE's -12.3% margin of safety (intrinsic $22 vs. $25).
Which stock has a wider economic moat, Pfizer Inc. or State Street Corporation?▼
STT scores 74/100 (Wide moat), while PFE scores 35/100 (None moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.
Is State Street Corporation in financial distress?▼
STT's Altman Z-Score of 0.2 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. PFE scores 2.1 (Grey zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.
Which dividend is safer, Pfizer Inc.'s or State Street Corporation's?▼
STT's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to PFE's 24/100 (Unsafe). STT has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.